Dharma Sandesh kÉqÉïxÉlSåzÉ a quarterly newsletter of Bharatiya Mandir, Middletown, NY

AÉ lÉÉå pÉSìÉÈ ¢üiÉuÉÉå rÉliÉÑ ÌuɵÉiÉÈ| Let noble thoughts come to us from everywhere. RigVeda 1.89.1 n (vehicles) of the Gods. I write about the 24 Gurus of lÉqÉxiÉå Namaste Lord Dattatreya as revealed by the Lord Himself.

Á – OM. With the blessings and grace of the We hope that readers will continue to enjoy reading Supreme Lord (mÉUqÉÉiqÉÉ), we are pleased to bring you these articles and gain some insight into our Sanatana another issue of Dharma Sandesh. Dharma. Let us all pray to Paramaatma (mÉUqÉÉiqÉÉ) to shower His blessings upon all His children!! Winter is dancing its icy cold and windy dance amidst us. The cold winds and the barren trees signal to us Sincerely, that although things look bleak now, a new Spring is Your Editorial Board making its advent, bringing with its lots of colors and Web: www.bharatiyamandir.org tender shoots.

Speaking of colors, we will be celebrating Holi – the xÉÑpÉÉÌwÉiÉÉ Subhaashitaa Festival of Colors soon. We are all excited to splash the red, orange, blue, yellow, green and purple colors In this section, we present a Sanskrit quotation and its all around us and enjoy the festivities. We will also be interpretation/meaning. remembering the story of brave, young Prahlad as we perform a symbolic Holika Dahan. lÉ cÉÉåUWûÉrÉïÇ lÉ cÉ UÉeÉWûÉrÉïÇ lÉ pÉëÉiÉ×pÉÉerÉÇ lÉ cÉ pÉÉUMüÉUÏ | urÉrÉå M×üiÉå uÉkÉïiÉ LuÉ ÌlÉirÉÇ ÌuɱÉkÉlÉÇ xÉuÉïkÉlÉ mÉëkÉÉlÉqÉç || We will be worshipping Lord and keeping vigil na-chora-haaryam-na-ca-raajahaaryam-na-bhraatrubhaajyam- all night long as we celebrate Maha Shivaratri on na-ca-bhaarakaari | Sunday, March 10. We will also be keeping an all- vyaye-krute-vardhata-eva-nityam-vidyaa-dhanam-sarvadhana- night vigil for the Divine Mother as we celebrate Mata pradhaanam || ka Jagaran in April. We will pray to Goddess Durga Education is the greatest asset (wealth) among all with bhajans, songs, Vedic mantras and shlokas. types of wealth. It cannot be stolen by thieves. It cannot be taken away by the king (or government) in We also will enjoy performing the wedding terms of taxes. It cannot be divided or split among celebrations of Lord Srinivasa (also known as Lord brothers like other property. Unlike other wealth or Venkateshwara or Lord Balaji) in May. This wedding property, it is never a burden. It also has this unusual will be performed in a traditional Vedic style. All are characteristic that the more you spend it every day, the invited to this divine wedding, replete with music and more it grows every day. We should strive to get more dance. and more of this wealth called education.

We will usher in the New Year in April. Ugadi and Contributed by Dr. Narasim Banavara Gudi Padwa will be celebrated on April 10, and Tamil New Year and Vishu will be celebrated on April 14. xÉÉD mÉëåUhÉÉ Baba’s Teachings

In this issue, Jai Kumar writes about the concept of free will as represented in Hinduism. Dr. Padma In this section, we present a teaching of Sri Sai Baba. Sundaram writes about the different vahanas Sri Satya Sai Baba spoke thus – “the green gourd sinks in water, but a dry one floats. Become dry - rid Dharma Sandesh Volume 4 Issue 4 Mar2013-May2013 Page-1 yourselves of attachments, desires, and avoid anxieties one endures a fraction of the Sanchita karma during a and worries. Then you can float unaffected on the lifetime. Once this karma has materialized in one's waters of change and chance. Even water, when it life, it is known as Prarabdha karma (mÉëÉUokÉ MüqÉï). The becomes steam, can rise into the sky. Be free from the third type of karma is Kriyamana karma (Ì¢ürÉÉqÉÉlÉ MüqÉï) desires that drag you down; have only the yearning to come face to face with the Truth. The truth is shining which is the karma that humans create in the present. inside you, waiting to be discovered. God is your All Kriyamana karma becomes Sanchita karma, and Indweller and so when you seek Him outside, He both shape our future and our next lives. The ability to cannot be caught. Look for Him within you. Love change one's destiny is unique to human life. After the Him with no other thought, and feel that without Him, loss of kriya shakti (Ì¢ürÉÉzÉÌ£ü the ability to act), and nothing is worth anything. Feel that He is all. Then transitively, Kriyamana karma, the soul is reincarnated you become His and He becomes yours. There is no in another body. kinship nearer than that!” - Divine Discourse, Oct 17, 1966 Karma is accrued in three ways: thought, intent and action. Through these, humans incite a response Contributed by Dr. Vijaya Dasari contingent on the nature of their thoughts, intents or actions. A malicious thought could manifest in the ¥ÉÉlÉÌuÉWûÉU JnanaVihara thought occurring to an intended individual or back at the thinker. Similarly, a moral action or one in accordance with dharma (kÉqÉï) would cause a positive In this section, we present articles on Hinduism, event to the actor. One’s dharma is paramount in Vedas, Puranas, Upanishads, and related philosophy. accruing karma. In the most rudimentary sense,

dharma is one's duty; one's guide to act as per one's Free Will in Hinduism filial, moral and social duties/obligations. The by Jay Kumar mythological figures of Bhishma and Dhritharashtra The concept of free will is exemplify the workings of karma in relation to a significant philosophical dharma. Both were royalty who suffered greatly for and theological issue that their past actions, yet, more so in the former’s case, has been intensely debated lived a life in full accordance with dharma, which for centuries in both manifested itself when they both obtained salvation. western and eastern In essence the accumulation of karma is inherently philosophical traditions. In dynamic and can best be understood as an oscillating Hinduism, the idea of free function that varies between two values: the value of will is viewed with some good and bad merit. ambivalence. With respect to the concept of karma, various schools of Hinduism The law of karma offers the provision that one's differ in their perceptions of free will. Two salient present karma can alter the fruits of past karma and schools who do are the Mimamsa (qÉÏqÉÉÇxÉ) and Vedanta change the actor's future. Logically, one's present and (uÉåSÉliÉ) schools. past action should determine the theoretical framework of the future. Hinduism does not state that Free will is the apparent human ability to make our life is predetermined as fatalism does or that free choices that are not determined by an external force. will is absolute. More rather, Hinduism states free will In Hinduism, the premise of free will is based on the is compatible with fate and believes that people’s concept of karma. In essence, karma is the concept actions create their future. Under this notion, fate that every action causes an equal reaction. There are does not entirely place obstacles in the way of free primarily three categories of karma. The first category will and people are solely responsible for their suffering, not God. of karma is Sanchita karma (xÉÎlcÉiÉMüqÉï), which is the karma accumulated throughout one's past lives. As The Vedanta school of Hinduism agrees with the one cannot experience all their karma in one lifetime, notion that man is able to act independently of any Dharma Sandesh Volume 4 Issue 4 Mar2013-May2013 Page-2 external factors, but cannot escape the karma that his http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_will_in_theology#In_Hin actions beget. In this process, the Vedanta school duism proclaims that God is an arbitrator who dispenses the fruits of the actions man chooses, surmising that “God Vehicles of the Gods does not make one suffer for no reason nor does He makes one happy for no reason. God is very fair and In Hindu mythology several Gods have vehicles or gives you exactly what you deserve.” The Vedanta vahanas (uÉÉWûlÉ) that are very specific to each one of school reconciles the problem of evil with this notion them. Vahana means “that which carries” or “that of free will; that ultimately, the soul is responsible for which pulls.” The Gods travel on these vahanas its actions on the physical plane and must either reap wherever they go. The vahana is typically an animal benefits of dharmic actions and must suffer for or a mythical entity. It is also called “a mount,” adharmic actions. around which is woven much iconography and mythology. The vahana usually symbolizes the evil Conversely, the Mimamsa school of Hinduism rejects force that the Deity dominates. Though the vahana the notion that God dispenses the fruits of one's may act independently, it is still functionally actions and views karma as acting independent of emblemati of the rider. This becomes the positive God. It believes that the law of causation is adequate aspect of the vahana. The vahanas also act as in explaining the effects of karma, surmising that the assistants to the Gods and, thus, double their power. results of an action are attributable solely to that Each God or Goddess has a unique vahana, and the action. For this reason, the Mimamsa school believes God or Goddess is usually depicted as either sitting on that it is useless to set an Ishvara for the purpose of the vahana or standing next to it. Karma since the results of an action can be witnessed at any time. There are a lot of stories about the origins of these vahanas. If I write about all of them it will become a Both schools of Hinduism state that man is ultimately book in itself!! So I will try, as best as possible, to responsible for his own actions. The overview of God write about a few major vahanas. within both schools is pantheistic: that God is interwoven with nature and is synonymous with the Mooshika – is the mouse which is Lord Ganapati’s fundamental principles that govern the universe. Both mount. There are a couple of theories as to how schools maintain God is not, in the Western or Mooshika became His mount. One of them is that contemporary Eastern sense, a benevolent when Ganesha was a anthropomorphic being that is biased towards men. child, a giant mouse More rather, God is a neutral figure within whose used to terrorize all hierarchy people hold a relatively coveted position, His friends. So and who, through the unique ability of sentience, can Ganesha used a lasso better understand its nature. to rein in the mouse and made it His References: vehicle. The other http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/h_fatalism.asp story is that Mooshika http://www.shraddhananda.com/Fate_Free_Will_and_the_ was a Gandharva Laws_of_Karma.html (celestial musician) http://www.hinduwebsite.com/hinduism/essays/fateandfree who inadvertently will.asp http://www.beliefnet.com/Faiths/Hinduism/2006/03/Ask- stepped on the feet of The-Swami-Do-Animals-Have-Karma.aspx a Rishi. The Rishi got http://www.hinduism.co.za/natureof.htm angry and cursed him http://www.thefreedictionary.com/fate to become a mouse. After his temper cooled, the Rishi http://www.thefreedictionary.com/free+will felt bad and told him that even though he was a http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Historical_Introduction_to_P mouse, everyone, including the Gods, would prostrate hilosophy/Determinism_and_the_Problem_of_Free-Will before him. Then Ganesha took the mouse to be his http://www.eubios.info/EJ102/EJ102H.htm mount. The symbolism here is that Ganesha, with His http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karma_in_Hinduism huge body, cannot go into nooks and crevices. So the Dharma Sandesh Volume 4 Issue 4 Mar2013-May2013 Page-3 mouse, which is small, can go into those small places. powerful Mount. So king Himavan (God of the Thus, with the help of Mooshika, Ganesha is able to Himalayas) gave her the Lion as a mount. Using the overcome all obstacles. Scientifically speaking, this is power and heroism of the lion, Durga used her a very good example of symbiotic existence!! Shakti to vanquish Mahishasura.

Swan – is Goddess or Nandikeshwara – is a bull and he is Lord Saraswathi’s mount. The Shiva’s mount. He is also the gatekeeper of Lord swan represents the qualities Shiva’s abode. Nandi is very quiet and benign, and he of the Goddess, namely signifies single-minded devotion. Nandi is the wisdom, grace and beauty, foremost disciple of along with music and fine Lord Shiva. He is the arts. principal Gana of Lord Shiva as well. In Peacock – is Skanda’s several Shaivite mount. Skanda is also temples, Nandi is known as Karthikeyan, depicted sitting facing Subrahmanya, or Murugan. the inner sanctum. The peacock represents One has to first seek splendor and majesty, and Nandi’s blessings also arrogance and pride before going into the because of its beauty. By temple. The story of making it His mount, how Nandi became Lord Shiva’s vahana is very Skanda teaches man not to interesting. Once there was a farmer named Shilada. be proud or arrogant over He did not have any children. He was a devout external beauty. devotee of Lord Shiva. So he prayed to Lord Shiva, who appeared before him and asked what he wanted. Owl – is Goddess Shilada asked for a son and the Lord said “you will Lakshmi’s vahana. have one soon.” Shilada was overjoyed and went She home. Several days later, when he was plowing his represents wealth and land he found a handsome baby with a golden hue. He fortune. The owl is a wise heard a voice from above telling him “Shilada, take bird. Goddess Lakshmi is this baby and bring him up well”. So, Shilada brought teaching man to be careful the baby home and named him Nandi. He taught him and use his fortune wisely. all the languages and scriptures. Nandi grew up to be a very learned man. One day two sages came to Lion – is Devi Durga’s Shilada’s house and Shilada told Nandi to look after mount. The lion is majestic their needs well. The sages were very happy. When yet fierce and so is Devi Shilada and Nandi fell prostrate at their feet for Durga. The story goes that the blessings, the sages only blessed Shilada with long demon Mahishasura defeated life. Shilada was upset and asked the sages why they the Gods in a fierce battle and the Gods went to Lord did not bless Nandi with long life. The sages were for help. Lord Vishnu, Lord Shiva and the very sad but told Shilada that his son would not live other Gods put forth their energies and thus Durga long. When Nandi heard the news from his father he was born as an told him not to worry. Nandi went to perform penance amalgamation and appease Lord Shiva. Nandi closed his eyes and of all the began his penance in the river Bhuvana. Lord Shiva energies. She was very happy and appeared before Nandi and told was so him to ask a boon. When Nandi opened his eyes, he powerful that was mesmerized by Lord Shiva’s beauty and wisdom she needed an emanating from his body. The first words from equally Nandi’s mouth were “Lord, I wish to be with you Dharma Sandesh Volume 4 Issue 4 Mar2013-May2013 Page-4 forever.” Lord Shiva agreed and Nandi became Lord asked them to take a bath before drinking the Amrita. Shiva’s vahana. He also became Lord Shiva’s friend, As soon as the serpents went for their bath, Indra gatekeeper, administrator, and the recipient of Devi swooped down and carried the nectar away. The Parvathi’s protection. serpents were angry but could not do anything except lick the few drops of the nectar that had fallen on the Garuda – is an eagle and is the vahana of Lord grass. The grass was so powerful and sharp that their MahaVishnu. He is usually worshipped along with tongues split. That is the reason that serpents have a Lord Vishnu, sometimes separately. Garuda is known forked tongue. But even the few drops of the Amrita for his immense strength and strong ethics. He applies were enough for the serpents to attain immortality. this philosophy to correct Snakes shed their entire skin to symbolize their evildoers. He is regarded as immortality. As promised, Garuda went back the king of birds. He is and became Lord Vishnu’s devoted vahana and a very depicted as having a golden good friend of the Gods. body, red wings, a prominent beak, and a In most of the temples of Lord Vishnu, a special area crown on his head. The is created for Garuda and special Pujas are done for following legend illustrates Garuda. how he became Lord Vishnu’s mount. Garuda There are also separate temples for Nandi in several was born as the son of Sage parts of . The biggest Nandi temples are Kashyapa and Vinata, who in Lepakshi, Andhra Pradesh; Brihadeshwara temple was King Daksha’s in Tamil Nadu; Bull Temple, Bangalore, ; daughter. Kashyapa had Chamundi Hills in Mysore, Karnataka; another wife named Kadru. Hoysaleshwara in , Karnataka; There was always rivalry between Kadru and Vinata. Shantaleshwara temple in Kerala; Nandi temple, Once, Kadru won an argument with Vinata and Madhya Pradesh; Kedhareshwara temple in Balligavi, imprisoned her in a place that was guarded by huge Karnataka, and Bazaar in Karnataka. serpents, which were Kadru’s children. When Garuda came to know about this he came immediately to free As you read this, you will see how the legends are his mother from the prison. But the serpents would not intertwined with many characters we see throughout allow that. They said that Garuda should bring Hindu Mythology. them Amrita (), the nectar of immortality. Only then would they release Vinata. Garuda agreed and went to References: look for Amrita. The Gods had hidden the Amrita “Hindu Gods and their vehicles” – wikipedia.com inside a ring of massive fire that covered the sky. Anna Dallipicola, “Directory of Hindu Lore and Surrounding that were two fierce serpents. Garuda Legend,” 2004 managed to mangle the serpents and take the pot of www.nandi.com Amrita. He carried it in his mouth without swallowing Yutling Lee, “Hindu Gods and their vahanas” – Orissa it. En route he met Lord Vishnu and made a deal with Review, 2003 Him wherein Lord Vishnu granted Garuda Pradeep Kugan, “Durga in sacred literature” immortality without drinking the Amrita. Garuda, in Earnest Wood and V. Subrahmanyam, “Garuda turn, promised Lord Vishnu that he would become His Purana,” 1918 mount as soon as he delivered the Amrita to the Other miscellaneous books serpents as promised. A little while later, Lord Indra, the King of the Gods, came along the way and Garuda Contributed by Dr. Padma Sundaram made another deal with him, which would enable Indra to take the pot of Amrita back with him to his The 24 Gurus of Lord Dattatreya abode (Swarga), where it rightfully belonged. Garuda came to the serpents with the Amrita and gave it to Lord Dattatreya is known as Gurudeva Datta. He is them. The serpents were overjoyed to see the nectar of the Guru of all Gurus. He is the Supreme Guru. As an immortality. They released Vinata. Then Garuda incarnation of the Paramaatma or Supreme Spirit, Dharma Sandesh Volume 4 Issue 4 Mar2013-May2013 Page-5 Lord Dattatreya came down to earth to spread the 2. Water – I learned from water the quality of purity universality of true religion. He descended on this and movement. Water is the source of life and it earth to establish Satya (the universal truth), Rta (the purifies everything, especially when it is holy like the cosmic order), and Dharma (the perennial principles) Ganga. Water flows unceasingly. If it stops it becomes in all their entirety. stagnant. One has to always keep moving forward. At the same time, water teaches me humility. Water Lord Dattatreya is an ancient incarnation of the always flows to the lowest place possible, teaching me Trinity -Vishnu-Shiva. He is a complete and to be humble. perfect manifestation of the three primordial energies and the three primary Gunas (qualities) of Sattva 3. Fire – I learned from fire to glow with the (positivity, goodness and wholesomeness), Rajas splendour of self-knowledge and austerity. Like fire, I (passion, energy and movement), and Tamas should accept everything, both good and bad in this (negativity, lethargy, darkness and ignorance). He world, and reduce everything to ashes by the fire of encompasses all these Gunas and, at the same time, knowledge, while remaining pure myself. transcends all these Gunas. 4. Air – I learned from air that I should not be Lord Dattatreya is an attached to anyone though I move among several Avadhuta, the people in this world. The air wafts over flowers and Supreme Philosopher thorns alike, but remains unaffected. Similarly, I and ever-anchored in should not prefer flowers over thorns or friends over Spirit. He is foes, and I should remain unaffected by one and all. Avadhuta, he who has shaken off from 5. Sky – I learned from the sky that the Atman (Self) himself all worldly is all-pervading and yet has no contact with any feelings and object. obligations. He is dispassionate and 6. Moon – I learned from the moon that birth, growth, detached from the youth, old age and death are only changes brought to worldly goings-on the body by the time-spirit and these changes are not and assumes the form of a total and supreme recluse. to the soul at all. While the moon waxes and wanes, it never loses its essence, totality or shape. All the Though being the Guru of all Gurus, Lord Dattatreya phases of life are just transitory, and I should not lose Himself spoke of His twenty-four Gurus. In the consciousness of the Self during these phases. Srimad Bhagavata Purana, the Supreme Lord Sri Krishna speaks to His disciple Uddhava about a 7. Sun – I learned from the sun that I should gather discussion between Lord Dattatreya and King Yadu. knowledge from various sources, transform that Lord Dattatreya said, “The Self alone is my Guru. Yet knowledge into practical wisdom, and share it with all I have learnt wisdom from twenty-four other without exception. The sun shines brightly over the individuals and objects. So they are also my Gurus. earth, evaporates the water with its rays, transforms They are: earth, water, fire, air, sky, moon, sun, the water into clouds, and sheds rain over forests, pigeon, python, ocean, moth, bumblebee, honeybee, rivers, seas, cities, and valleys without exception. elephant, deer, fish, prostitute, osprey, baby, maiden, serpent, blacksmith, spider, and wasp.” Lord 8. Pigeon – I learned from the pigeon not to have any Dattatreya said the following about each of His Gurus: attachment. A pair of pigeons nested in a tree with deep attachment for each other. They had offspring 1. Earth - I learned from Mother Earth forbearance, and nourished them with great affection and firmness, patience, forgiveness and doing good to attachment. One day, the parent pigeons saw their others as she does even when people and other children caught in a fowler’s nest. The mother pigeon creatures trod over her. flung herself on to the net to save the children and got caught in the net herself. The father pigeon did the

Dharma Sandesh Volume 4 Issue 4 Mar2013-May2013 Page-6 same and got caught in the net as well. The fowler the honey away leaving nothing for the honeybee. killed them all. Such is the situation of a miser who hoards wealth. He neither enjoys his riches nor donates to charity. 9. Python – I learned from the python to be always Finally someone else takes away all his wealth. content. A python does not make itself miserable by running after food. It eats whatever comes to it. Once 14. Elephant – I learned from the elephant to be it has eaten it lays still for days not worrying about its careful with my passions and desires. The male next meal. elephant was attracted to the female elephant (the bait) and blinded by lust, and in the process of going to her, 10. Ocean – I learned from the ocean that I should fell into a pit that was covered with leaves and always maintain my discipline and never cross my branches. Worldly charms arouse our sensory limits. The ocean accepts the waters from all rivers impulses, and in the process of pursuing those and streams but never overflows its boundaries. impulses, our mind gets trapped and enslaved, even Whatever temptations, difficulties or troubles a person though it is powerful. faces, he should remain unmoved like the ocean. 15. Deer – I learned from the deer not to listen to 11. Moth – I learned from the moth to control the sensuous music. A deer is alert but it is easily sense of sight and to fix the mind on the Self. Just as attracted by the hunter’s flute music and gets caught. the moth rushes towards the flame without any Similarly one should not listen to sensuous music lest distractions, I must fix my mind on the Self and one’s mind gets trapped in the worldly goings-on. One concentrate on it in order to achieve it. should only listen to songs about God.

16. Fish – I learned from the fish not to be greedy and covetous. The fish that is covetous of food becomes an easy victim to the bait. Similarly the man who is greedy for food or other possessions loses his independence and gets ruined.

17. Prostitute – I learned from the prostitute Pingala that abandonment of desires leads to contentment. Pingala used to constantly and eagerly wait for her customers. When they did not come as she expected, she would become frustrated and could not sleep at night. She became tired of waiting and getting frustrated. One night, she stopped waiting for her customers and entertained only those who came to her and felt contented. She slept peacefully that night. I learned that abandonment of desires leads to 12. Bumblebee – I learned from the bumblebee that I contentment. should only take a little from anyone and not be a burden on anyone. Instead I should also help and 18. Osprey – I learned from the osprey that the secret enrich the people from whom I take something. A of survival lies in renunciation, not in possession. The bumblebee takes only a few drops of nectar from any osprey had a piece of flesh in its mouth and was being flower. It hums and provides enjoyment to the pursued by many other strong birds. When the osprey flowers. It also pollinates the flowers and helps them dropped the piece of flesh, all the birds left the osprey prosper. alone and rushed towards the flesh. By giving up attachment to that possession, the osprey obtained 13. Honeybee – I learned from the honeybee that I relief. should not hoard possessions. The honeybee hoards more honey that it needs. Finally, the honey-gatherer 19. Baby – I learned from the baby that I should seeks out the place of the honeycomb and carries all demand only when I really need something. A baby Dharma Sandesh Volume 4 Issue 4 Mar2013-May2013 Page-7 cries when it is hungry. When it drinks its mother’s milk, it does not cry anymore. It cannot be forced to Some Upcoming Special Mandir Events drink anymore. I learned that I should demand and Maha Shivaratri Sunday, March take only what I absolutely need to survive, and 10 nothing more. Holi/Dhuleti – Festival of Sunday, March Colors 31 20. Maiden – I learned from the maiden that living Ugadi/Gudi Padwa– New Year Wednesday, among other people creates discord, disturbance, (, Telugu, Marathi) April 10 dispute and quarrel. A maiden was husking paddy. Mata ka Jagaran Saturday, April Her bangles made a lot of noise as she was doing her 13 work. There were visitors in her house. Therefore the Tamil New Year / Vishu Sunday, April maiden took off her bangles one by one. When there 14 was only one bangle left on her wrist, there was no Sri Rama Navami Saturday, April more noise. Similarly, a yogi or Sanyasi should 20 always remain in solitude. If he gets into the company Sri Hanuman Jayanti Thursday, of other people, there is bound to be exchange of April 25 words, disputes, quarrels and discord. Bharatiya Mandir Anniversary Sunday, May 5 Celebrations 21. Serpent – I learned from the serpent not to build a Sri Srinivasa Kalyana Sunday, May permanent home for myself and get attached to it. A (wedding celebrations of Lord 12 (tentative) serpent does not build its own hole. It lives in the Srinivasa / Venkateshwara / holes dug out by others. Similarly a yogi or Sanyasi Balaji) should not create a permanent dwelling for himself.

When he is tired, he should rest in a temple or a cave Children’s Classes at Bharatiya Mandir built by others. Once he is rested, he should move on. We are very happy to inform everyone that the Children’s classes at Bharatiya Mandir are 22. Arrow-Maker – I learned from the arrow-maker progressing successfully. The children are very the quality of intense concentration of mind. The enthusiastic and eager to learn new material each arrow-maker was so absorbed in his work that the week. They are learning shlokas and bhajans, listening king and his entire army passed by without his to wonderful stories, and creating beautiful pieces of arts and crafts. They have also been practicing Surya noticing them. Similarly, I should fix my thoughts on Namaskar. They will also perform in a play on the Brahman and not let any external forces disturb my occasion of the Mandir’s anniversary celebrations in concentration. May. Thanks to all the parents and the volunteers who are helping to make these classes successful!! 23. Spider – I learned from the spider not to get entangled in my own web. A man creates a web of his own ideas and gets entangled in them later on. A wise Persaud Family (Quickway Diner and Quickway Exotic Auto) has generously sponsored the printing of man should abandon all worldly thoughts and copies of this issue of Dharma Sandesh. Devotees concentrate only on Brahman. may note that all the writing of the content and the editing of the newsletter are strictly voluntary. 24. Wasp – I learned from the wasp that if a yogi constantly thinks about God, he will become God, that Our quarterly newsletter is called “Dharma is, one with God. A worm is confined in the niche of a Sandesh” (kÉqÉïxÉlSåzÉ). “Dharma”, in simple tree by a wasp. It keeps on thinking about the wasp, terms, refers to righteousness, conduct, a sense of and in due course, metamorphoses into the wasp. duty, virtue, and the ultimate truth. “Sandesh” Similarly, a yogi should fix his mind on God and means a message or news. So, Dharma Sandesh think only about God. refers to a message of Dharma. Dharma Sandesh Newsletter Editorial Board: Sources: Sri Guru Charitra Dr. Narasim Banavara Dr. K.N. Sundaram Contributed by Dr. Narasim Banavara Dr. Padma Sundaram

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